Update: Crist wins Florida Democratic primary for governor

Former Florida Republican Gov. Charlie Crist makes a campaign stop in Boynton Beach, Tuesday before the results were in that showed him the winner of the Democratic primary.

AP Photo

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON | The Associated Press

Published: Tuesday, August 26, 2014 at 11:32 PM.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist won the Democratic primary to challenge Republican Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday, marking another step in an unlikely political comeback four years after leaving the GOP.

Crist defeated Nan Rich, a former Senate Democratic leader who has been campaigning for governor longer than Crist has been a Democrat. He is the first person in Florida to win the nomination for governor as a Republican and a Democrat. With 99 percent of the precincts counted, Crist had 74 percent to 26 percent for Rich.

He now faces Scott and Libertarian Adrian Wyllie in a race that’s already been highly negative. Scott anticipated a Crist victory and has already spent millions of dollars in ads attacking him for political flip-flops, supporting President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul and his decision to run for Senate instead of a second term as governor as the state’s economy tanked.

“Congratulations! It’s a wonderful night!” Crist said as he hugged his running mate, Annette Taddeo, after Rich called Crist to concede the race minutes after the polls closed.

Crist said the strong showing is a sign that Democrats believe in him despite the fact that he’s new to the party.

“Frankly, I think I was on their side when I was in the other party,” Crist said as he prepared for his victory speech.

He said a friend once told him, “‘Charlie, you’ve been a Democrat your whole life, you just didn’t know it.’ Well now I know it.”

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist won the Democratic primary to challenge Republican Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday, marking another step in an unlikely political comeback four years after leaving the GOP.

Crist defeated Nan Rich, a former Senate Democratic leader who has been campaigning for governor longer than Crist has been a Democrat. He is the first person in Florida to win the nomination for governor as a Republican and a Democrat. With 99 percent of the precincts counted, Crist had 74 percent to 26 percent for Rich.

He now faces Scott and Libertarian Adrian Wyllie in a race that’s already been highly negative. Scott anticipated a Crist victory and has already spent millions of dollars in ads attacking him for political flip-flops, supporting President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul and his decision to run for Senate instead of a second term as governor as the state’s economy tanked.

“Congratulations! It’s a wonderful night!” Crist said as he hugged his running mate, Annette Taddeo, after Rich called Crist to concede the race minutes after the polls closed.

Crist said the strong showing is a sign that Democrats believe in him despite the fact that he’s new to the party.

“Frankly, I think I was on their side when I was in the other party,” Crist said as he prepared for his victory speech.

He said a friend once told him, “‘Charlie, you’ve been a Democrat your whole life, you just didn’t know it.’ Well now I know it.”

In his victory speech, Crist pointed out that even as a Republican he vetoed bills that would have required ultrasounds before abortions and established a merit pay system for teachers. He also extended early voting hours in 2008 even though it helped Obama.

“When it comes to taking even a single step to make it a little easier for families to pay the bills, raise their kids, save for retirement, Rick Scott hasn’t been on our side,” Crist said. As the crowd booed at the mention of Scott, Crist said, “Don’t boo, vote.”

Crist was also focused on Scott leading up to the primary, refusing to debate Rich while reminding voters that Scott is a former hospital chain CEO who ran a company that paid a $1.7 billion settlement for Medicaid fraud.

Crist, 58, has won three statewide races as a Republican, and it wasn’t that long ago that he called himself a Ronald Reagan/Jeb Bush Republican. He was once considered a potential running mate for 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain. He also had the backing of GOP leaders in a 2010 bid for the U.S. Senate — until Marco Rubio used an image of Crist hugging Obama to chase Crist from the primary. Crist lost an independent bid for the seat Rubio now holds.

After campaigning for Obama in 2012, Crist completed his political transition later that year by posting a photo of his voter registration card on Twitter during an event at the White House.

He now hopes he can inspire Democratic voters who have opposed him in five statewide races. As a Republican, Crist was elected education commissioner in 2000, attorney general in 2002 and governor in 2006. He lost a U.S. Senate race as a Republican in 1998 and as an independent in 2010.

In her concession speech, Rich said she told Crist that she wants to make sure her progressive values will have a place in his campaign and said she’ll work to help elect him.

“I entered this race to defeat Rick Scott and to get Florida back on the right track, and that is the goal that I remain committed to,” she said.

Crist said he welcomes her help.

“The issues she’s passionate about, I’m passionate about, too. Obviously that includes women and children and education,” Crist said after the phone call.

Despite initially campaigning as a strong conservative in the 2010 Senate race, Crist was widely considered a moderate Republican governor supported by some Democrats.

Retired teacher Ann Long, 75 and a longtime Democrat from Miami, said she voted for Crist.

“I liked him when he was a Republican governor, and I thought he had the best chance of winning. He seemed to run the state well,” Long said.

Scott easily defeated his primary opposition. He is seeking his second term after spending $73 million of his and his wife’s money to win the governor’s office four years ago.

Scott was elected without a majority of the vote in a close race with former Florida CFO Alex Sink. He campaigned as a tea party conservative advocating for less government spending and making the state more business friendly.

But Scott has transitioned from a political outsider seeking to shake up government to a candidate who is advocating for more spending on education, the environment and other programs.

Below is an earlier version of this story:

FORT LAUDERDALE (AP) — Former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist won the Democratic primary to challenge Republican Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday, marking another step in an unlikely political comeback four years after leaving the GOP.

Crist defeated Nan Rich, a former Senate Democratic leader who has been campaigning for governor longer than Crist has been a Democrat. He is the first person in Florida to win the nomination for governor as a Republican and a Democrat. With 99 percent of the precincts counted, Crist had 74 percent to 26 percent for Rich.

He now faces Scott and Libertarian Adrian Wyllie in a race that's already been highly negative. Scott anticipated a Crist victory and has already spent millions of dollars in ads attacking him for political flip-flops, supporting President Barack Obama's health care overhaul and his decision to run for Senate instead of a second term as governor as the state's economy tanked.

"Congratulations! It's a wonderful night!" Crist said as he hugged his running mate, Annette Taddeo, after Rich called Crist to concede the race minutes after the polls closed.

Crist said the strong showing is a sign that Democrats believe in him despite the fact that he's new to the party.

"Frankly, I think I was on their side when I was in the other party," Crist said as he prepared for his victory speech. He said a friend once told him, "'Charlie, you've been a Democrat your whole life, you just didn't know it.' Well now I know it."

In his victory speech, Crist pointed out that even as a Republican he vetoed bills that would have required ultrasounds before abortions and established a merit pay system for teachers. He also extended early voting hours in 2008 even though it helped Obama.

"When it comes to taking even a single step to make it a little easier for families to pay the bills, raise their kids, save for retirement, Rick Scott hasn't been on our side," Crist said. As the crowd booed at the mention of Scott, Crist said, "Don't boo, vote."

Crist was also focused on Scott leading up to the primary, refusing to debate Rich while reminding voters that Scott is a former hospital chain CEO who ran a company that paid a $1.7 billion settlement for Medicaid fraud.

Crist, 58, has won three statewide races as a Republican, and it wasn't that long ago that he called himself a Ronald Reagan/Jeb Bush Republican. He was once considered a potential running mate for 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain. He also had the backing of GOP leaders in a 2010 bid for the U.S. Senate — until Marco Rubio used an image of Crist hugging Obama to chase Crist from the primary. Crist lost an independent bid for the seat Rubio now holds.

After campaigning for Obama in 2012, Crist completed his political transition later that year by posting a photo of his voter registration card on Twitter during an event at the White House.

He now hopes he can inspire Democratic voters who have opposed him in five statewide races. As a Republican, Crist was elected education commissioner in 2000, attorney general in 2002 and governor in 2006. He lost a U.S. Senate race as a Republican in 1998 and as an independent in 2010.

In her concession speech, Rich said she told Crist that she wants to make sure her progressive values will have a place in his campaign and said she'll work to help elect him.

"I entered this race to defeat Rick Scott and to get Florida back on the right track, and that is the goal that I remain committed to," she said.

Crist said he welcomes her help.

"The issues she's passionate about, I'm passionate about, too. Obviously that includes women and children and education," Crist said after the phone call.

Despite initially campaigning as a strong conservative in the 2010 Senate race, Crist was widely considered a moderate Republican governor supported by some Democrats.

Retired teacher Ann Long, 75 and a longtime Democrat from Miami, said she voted for Crist.

"I liked him when he was a Republican governor, and I thought he had the best chance of winning. He seemed to run the state well," Long said.

Scott easily defeated his primary opposition. He is seeking his second term after spending $73 million of his and his wife's money to win the governor's office four years ago.

Scott was elected without a majority of the vote in a close race with former Florida CFO Alex Sink. He campaigned as a tea party conservative advocating for less government spending and making the state more business friendly.

But Scott has transitioned from a political outsider seeking to shake up government to a candidate who is advocating for more spending on education, the environment and other programs.

___

Associated Press writers Matt Sedensky in West Palm Beach, Jason Dearen in Gainesville, Melissa Nelson-Gabriel in Pensacola, Kelli Kennedy in Weston and Laura Wides-Munoz in Miami contributed to this report.

Below is an earlier version of this story:

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist won the Democratic primary to challenge Republican Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday, marking another step in an unlikely political comeback four years after leaving the GOP.

Crist defeated Nan Rich, a former Senate Democratic leader who has been campaigning for governor longer than Crist has been a Democrat. He is the first person in Florida to win the nomination for governor as a Republican and a Democrat. With 39 percent of the precincts counted, Crist had 75 percent to 25 percent for Rich.

He now faces Scott and Libertarian Adrian Wyllie in a race that’s already been highly negative. Scott anticipated a Crist victory and has already spent millions of dollars in ads attacking him for political flip-flops, supporting President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul and his decision to run for Senate instead of a second term as governor as the state’s economy tanked.

“Congratulations! It’s a wonderful night!” Crist said as he hugged his running mate, Annette Taddeo, after Rich called Crist to concede the race minutes after the polls closed.

Crist said the strong showing is a sign that Democrats believe in him despite the fact that he’s new to the party.

“Frankly, I think I was on their side when I was in the other party,” Crist said as he prepared for his victory speech. He said a friend once told him, “‘Charlie, you’ve been a Democrat your whole life, you just didn’t know it.’ Well now I know it.”

Crist was also focused on Scott leading up to the primary, refusing to debate Rich while reminding voters that Scott is a former hospital chain CEO who ran a company that paid a $1.7 billion settlement for Medicaid fraud.
Crist, 58, has won three statewide races as a Republican, and it wasn’t that long ago that he called himself a Ronald Reagan/Jeb Bush Republican. He was once considered a potential running mate for 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain. He also had the backing of GOP leaders in a 2010 bid for the U.S. Senate — until Marco Rubio used an image of Crist hugging President Barack Obama to chase Crist from the primary. Crist lost an independent bid for the seat Rubio now holds.

After campaigning for Obama in 2012, Crist completed his political transition later that year by posting a photo of his voter registration card on Twitter during an event at the White House.

He now hopes he can inspire Democratic voters who have opposed him in five statewide races. As a Republican, Crist was elected education commissioner in 2000, attorney general in 2002 and governor in 2006. He lost a U.S. Senate race as a Republican in 1998 and as an independent in 2010.

In her concession speech, Rich said she told Crist that she wants to make sure her progressive values will have a place in his campaign and said she’ll work to help elect him.

“I entered this race to defeat Rick Scott and to get Florida back on the right track, and that is the goal that I remain committed to,” she said.

Crist said he welcomes her help.

“The issues she’s passionate about, I’m passionate about, too. Obviously that includes women and children and education,” Crist said after the phone call.

Despite initially campaigning as a strong conservative in the 2010 Senate race, Crist was widely considered a moderate Republican governor supported by some Democrats.

He vetoed an abortion bill and a teacher merit pay bill that were priorities for Republicans in 2010 and was a leader on climate change issues as governor.

Retired teacher Ann Long, 75 and a longtime Democrat from Miami, said she voted for Crist.

“I liked him when he was a Republican governor, and I thought he had the best chance of winning. He seemed to run the state well,” Long said.

Scott had only minor primary opposition. He is seeking his second term after spending $73 million of his and his wife’s money to win the governor’s office four years ago.

Scott was elected without a majority of the vote in a close race with former Florida CFO Alex Sink. He campaigned as a tea party conservative advocating for less government spending and making the state more business friendly.

But Scott has transitioned from a political outsider seeking to shake up government to a candidate who is advocating for more spending on education, the environment and other programs.

An earlier vesion of this story appears below:

FORT LAUDERDALE — Florida Democrats appeared poised Tuesday to select former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist as their nominee to challenge Republican Gov. Rick Scott in a nationally watched race that's part of an unlikely political comeback for Crist.

Turnout appeared light. The campaign between Crist and former state Sen. Nan Rich hadn't garnered much attention — Rich didn't have the financial resources to purchase extensive TV commercials. Polls will be open until 7 p.m. EDT in most of the state and 7 p.m. CDT in the Panhandle.

Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner said that there had been no serious problems reported at polling places, though one Orlando poll opened late because a worker overslept. Detzner said 1.1 million voters cast early ballots.

Crist has won three statewide races as a Republican, and it wasn't that long ago that he called himself a Ronald Reagan/Jeb Bush Republican. He was once considered a potential running mate for 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain and he had the backing of GOP leaders in a 2010 bid for Senate — until Marco Rubio used an image of Crist hugging President Barack Obama to chase Crist from the primary. Crist lost an independent bid for the seat Rubio now holds.

But after campaigning for Obama in 2012 and completing his political transition later that year, Crist is the favorite to win the nomination to face Scott. He must beat Rich, a former Senate minority leader, who has been running for governor longer than Crist has been a Democrat. But Rich lacks the name recognition and money Crist has. Most observers say Crist, 58, should win the nomination easily.

Scott, who has minor primary opposition, has already anticipated that Crist will be his opponent. The state Republican Party began attacking Crist months before he officially became a Democrat. Scott has spent millions of dollars on ads criticizing Crist, pointing out how he has changed from opposing to supporting such issues as same-sex marriage, gun control and Obama's health care plan.

The primary will be a test to see whether Democrats accept Crist's political conversion. Democrats have opposed him in five statewide races. As a Republican, Crist was elected education commissioner in 2000, attorney general in 2002 and governor in 2006. He lost a U.S. Senate race as a Republican in 1998 and as an independent in 2010.

But despite initially campaigning as a strong conservative in the 2010 Senate race, Crist was widely considered a moderate Republican governor supported by some Democrats.

He vetoed an abortion bill and a teacher merit pay bill that were priorities for Republicans in 2010 and was a leader on climate change issues as governor.

But Rich, 72, like Scott, notes that Crist has changed positions on many issues important to Democrats.

Both candidates focused their final campaigning days on South Florida, the state's Democratic base.

At most polling places visited by Associated Press reporters early Tuesday, there were few voters.

At Miami's Legion Park, only about a dozen voters had trickled in by 9 am. Retired teacher Ann Long, 75 and a longtime Democrat, said she voted for Crist.

"I liked him when he was a Republican governor, and I thought he had the best chance of winning. He seemed to run the state well," Long said.

It was a busy morning at a polling place in Gainesville's Duckpond neighborhood, a Democratic bastion — but that was mostly driven by local races such as school board and judgeships.

Lavon Wright, 65, who was out campaigning for her brother for school board, said she voted for Crist — like most there.

"I like Nan Rich, but I didn't want to waste my vote. I think Crist can beat the current governor. Our current governor is the worst Florida has ever seen," she said.

At the Dreyfoos School of the Arts near downtown West Palm Beach, only a handful of voters turned out in the first two hours of balloting.

David Bradley, a lawyer from West Palm Beach, voted for Rich and said he was swayed by Scott's attacks on Crist.

"Nan Rich may be the only candidate that has the best interest of Florida at her heart," he said.

Asked why he didn't support Crist, he said: "He's a Republican!"

At a Pensacola Beach polling station in the heavily Republican Panhandle, Vietnam era Army veteran Vic Bindi, 76, shook his head in dismay at the low turnout. He said he always votes to honor the memory of thousands of soldiers who died fighting for the country. He said he voted for Scott over his two unknown opponents because he believes the governor has done a good job getting the state's debt under control and boosting education.

He had one word for Crist: "Turncoat."

Check back for updates throughout the evening.

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Associated Press writers Matt Sedensky in West Palm Beach, Jason Dearen in Gainesville, Melissa Nelson-Gabriel in Pensacola and Laura Wides-Munoz in Miami contributed to this report.